Hospitals in Gaza reported at least 30 fatalities after Israeli air strikes across the Strip on Saturday 31 January, one of the deadliest days since the October 2025 ceasefire took effect. Gaza’s Civil Defence, run by the Hamas-led authorities, initially reported 28 deaths as searches continued. (apnews.com)
Medical officials said strikes hit an apartment in Gaza City, a police station in the Sheikh Radwan district, and tents sheltering displaced families in Khan Younis. Shifa hospital reported at least 14 dead at the police station, including four policewomen, while three children, their aunt and grandmother were killed in the apartment strike. (apnews.com)
The Israel Defense Forces said the attacks followed a Hamas breach of the truce on Friday when eight armed men emerged from a tunnel in eastern Rafah. The IDF and Israel Security Agency later stated they had struck multiple targets, including four commanders, weapons storage and manufacturing sites, and two Hamas launch areas in central Gaza. (jpost.com)
Hamas condemned the action as a flagrant violation and called for international intervention. The Gaza Civil Defence said residential apartments, tents, shelters and a police station were among the sites hit. (apnews.com)
Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned repeated violations of the ceasefire, warning the strikes threaten efforts to implement the second phase of the US‑brokered framework and urging adherence to UN Security Council Resolution 2803. (english.ahram.org.eg)
The ceasefire agreed in October 2025 is anchored in UN Security Council Resolution 2803 (17 November 2025). The resolution endorses a US‑backed ‘Comprehensive Plan’, provides for an International Stabilization Force, establishes a transitional Board of Peace and sets reporting to the Council through 31 December 2027. (un.org)
A partial reopening of the Rafah crossing-central to phase two-is expected on Sunday 1 February. Israeli authorities have said the crossing will initially be limited to pedestrian movements, subject to Israeli security clearance, with Egyptian coordination and EU monitoring. (apnews.com)
The planned opening follows this week’s recovery of the remains of Master Sgt Ran Gvili, identified by Israeli authorities as the last Israeli hostage in Gaza, a development that had been cited as a precondition for easing movement at Rafah. (jns.org)
Since 7 October 2023, 71,667 Palestinians have been killed and 171,343 injured, according to figures from Gaza’s Ministry of Health collated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs as of 28 January 2026. UN agencies and independent analysts generally deem these data reliable; Israel disputes them. (ochaopt.org)
Casualties have continued during the truce period. Hospital and ministry reports indicate that more than 500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire began in October 2025, with Israel asserting these incidents followed violations by armed groups. (apnews.com)
Access constraints continue to impede independent verification. The UN has reported ongoing restrictions and intermittent incursions west of the Israeli redeployment ‘yellow line’, contributing to repeated displacement and complicating safe assessment and response. (ochaopt.org)
For officials implementing the ceasefire, the immediate tests are whether Rafah’s opening proceeds and is sustained, whether retaliatory cycles follow the Rafah tunnel incident, and whether stabilisation and demilitarisation benchmarks under Resolution 2803 remain on schedule-each with direct consequences for aid delivery and reconstruction. (jpost.com)